Jesca Hoop 8/11/12 - Zoey's Cafe, Ventura, CA.

(Photo taken by blogger via Instagram)

It's been a long time since we last wrote about Jesca Hoop - well, January 2011 as a matter of fact. In the ensuing time, Ms. Hoop released her third full-length album The House That Jack Built back in June, and is currently finishing up a mostly West Coast-area tour to promote it. Tonight's stop at Zoey's Cafe in Ventura was a very intimate one with a crowd of approx 30-40 seated people, and highly reminiscent of her Hotel Cafe shows of yesteryear. While her current tour does feature a band, tonight's show only consisted of Jesca on guitar, with Leslie Stevens (of L.A.-favorites Leslie and the Badgers) providing background vocals on most of the songs performed. As one of Ms. Hoop's mentors Tom Waits has said in the past, "her music is like going swimming in a lake at night," and with this show we are inclined to agree. Setlist below:

D.N.R (song incomplete, fades-in due to battery swap)

Whispering Light                          
"Banter"                                  
Murder of Birds                          
Hospital (Win Your Love)                  
The Kingdom                              
"Storytime"                              
Born To                                  
Dig This Record                          
"Banter"                                
The House That Jack Built              
Tulip                                  
"Banter/Improv song"                    
Peacemaker                              
"Banter"                                
Hunting My Dress

Stream or download the full show here.